I HATE Varget!

bsa1917hunter · Dec 23, 2018

DizzyJ said:
Just try some. My savage .223 shoots lights out with 77gr Nosler and SMKs. I'm pushing them a little over 2,700 FPS.

Thats good info. For right now, however, I'm going to stick with the 73gr ELDM. The same load shoots consistent sub moa out of my AR15 and my new Savage 10. I like it when that happens. Keeps things simple. Just the way I like it...

pharmseller · Dec 31, 2018

I use Varget with Nosler's 64 gr BSB. A hair over 3k mv and cloverleaf groups.

P

pharmseller · Jan 1, 2019

And, I used to use Varget in three .30-06 rifles as a low-recoil load using 150 grain Accubonds. Accurate and murder on deer. Never got to see one put through an elk but I'll bet it would have done the job.

P

gmerkt · Jan 1, 2019

Varget is one of the powders I like to use. I'm always in favor of a powder that is applicable across the range of calibers that I shoot and this is one of them. It isn't my first powder of choice for .223 but I've found it to be accurate and very clean.

I think if a powder measure/meter/thrower is used to charge cases, the design of the drop tube may be an issue. I use the RCBS Uniflow often and haven't had much trouble with dropping Varget.

I like the ease of flow that the ball powders provide, but in AR platforms they are dirty. Scraping carbon out of the inside of the bolt carrier isn't how I like to spend my time. Modern stick powders as marketed by Hodgdon all seem to burn very cleanly, including the IMR product line of recent manufacture.

IMR 4320 is another stick powder that I've liked to use in .223. Particularly in a couple of bolt actions. It's slow for .223 but works well even in AR's. It's right there next to Varget in speed.

H-322 and XBR-8208 are two of my favorites in .223 with lighter bullets. They meter just as easily as a ball powder. I read somewhere that XBR-8208 was a failed lot of H-322 and a new powder was born. And a gold label and slightly higher price tag.

I tried out IMR 4166, supposedly a good powder for small caliber centerfires like .223. It didn't work out for me, you get into compressed loads too soon and I don't care for that. It turned out to be great for .308 Win. and that's what I used it in. Might be a real problem if you're trying to use the heavier bullets in .223.

In years past, I've used IMR 4895 with success in .223 but my experience is limited to 55 gr. bullets with that powder. It's another number that will work well in any rifle cartridge that I shoot.